Why do business with LMA PacMed?

LMA PacMed is the leading supplier of laryngeal mask airway devices in the Australian market, a position we have held since the company introduced the first laryngeal mask in 1989 – but what makes our company the first choice of clinicians and procurement staff across the country?

A heritage of development and innovation

The first laryngeal mask was developed by Dr Archie Brain (UK) during the mid 1980’s and the resulting product – LMA Classic™ launched at the end of this decade was the result of extensive development work and cadaveric studies to ensure the optimum fit and functionality. LMA Classic™ laryngeal mask remains a stalwart of the LMA PacMed portfolio which is testament to the extensive development of this device prior to launch.

The Original LMA™ laryngeal Mask

	While LMA Classic™ revolutionised airway management practices across the world it was never more so than in Australian where today an unparalleled 70% of General Anaesthetic procedures are conducted with an LMA™ laryngeal mask. The development of LMA Classic™ and its single use equivalent LMA Unique™ was swiftly followed with a range of specialist masks including the LMA Flexible™ (the first product of its type launched by LMA PacMed) and the LMA Fastrach™ intubating LMA™ (another innovation first). These devices further cemented the application of laryngeal mask technology as a safe and effective rescue airway device. In 2001 LMA introduced LMA ProSeal™ the first device with a gastric access lumen which allowed separation of the respiratory and gastric tracts designed to protect against the risk of aspiration from regurgitated stomach contents. This device set the benchmark for the design of all "2nd Generation masks" and was followed in 2007 with the single use 2nd Generation device LMA Supreme™ which has become not only our largest selling laryngeal mask but the most commonly used second generation laryngeal mask in Australia.

4th National Audit Project Report

In 2011 the Royal College of Anaesthetists published the 4th National Audit Project report (NAP4) which identified current practices in airway management and made recommendations for future practice. In respect of Supraglottic Airway Devices the report made several recommendations for the use of 2nd Generation devices over 1st Generation, in a number of key applications and identified that in these areas 2nd Generation laryngeal masks should become the new standard of patient care. With the provision of LMA Proseal™ and LMA Supreme™ we are confident that clinicians have in their hands 2nd Generation devices that will support the recommendations of the NAP4 report.

LMA™ does not make copy products. All of our laryngeal masks have been developed with stringent attention to design and functionality to ensure not only the highest standards of quality but that they deliver clinically proven performance to instil confidence in the clinicians that choose them.

Proven Clinical Evaluation

In 2011 the Difficult Airway Society published the "ADEPT" study that reviewed the guidance for selecting airway devices based on equipment evaluation. The major recommendation of this study was that all new airway management devices introduced should be backed by a minimum level of clinical data (Class 3b). This recommendation has been embraced by the anaesthetic community and regulatory bodies alike.

All LMA™ laryngeal masks have undergone rigorous evaluation in clinical studies and are supported by a weight of clinical data far beyond the recommendation of the ADEPT study. This clinical evidence is held in the LMA™ online clinical database, Dr Evidence, along with a range of additional clinical materials for other products within the LMA™ portfolio. Access to this clinical database is freely available for all clinicians via the link www.doctorevidence.com/LMA_Login.aspx

LMA™ does not manufacture copy products unsupported by clinical evidence. All of our laryngeal mask airways have been subjected to and have passed extensive evaluation within the clinical environment they are designed for – and we have the data to prove it!

Extensive clinical support services

As the market leader in laryngeal masks, LMA has always been aware of its responsibility and obligations to support the use of its products in clinical practice and the vital role that we provide in clinician education and support.

The NAP4 report findings underlined the issues arising from the use of airway devices in the hands of clinical staff that had not been trained specifically to use those products and highlighted the role that industry must play in ensuring appropriate education is delivered. LMA stands by these recommendations and willingly shoulders the responsibility of ensuring that all clinicians who use our products have access to effective educational materials. To this end LMA PacMed:

Retains a qualified field staff of 8 clinical specialists across the country to provide ongoing training and in-service education.
Retains product specialists in our Melbourne based office who can provide on the spot product support
Delivers support materials to clinicians for educational purposes across the full range of our portfolio
Makes freely available our online educational materials to all clinicians via our LMA Co. website. This includes training videos, Instruction For Use information sheets, clinical testimonials and of course our clinical evidence database Dr Evidence
Provides ongoing support at both state and national level with educational workshops staffed by our clinical staff at all major meetings of ANZCA & ASA.
Offers the opportunity intensive airway training to clinicians via our international Centre of Excellence facilities
Continues to invest in supporting the anaesthetic community across a wide range of activities including clinical studies, educational support and scientific meeting attendance.

In the current environment, and in spite of recommendations from NAP4, a number of companies selling imitation products are actively reducing the size of their field teams and the level of clinical support they offer. This is not the LMA approach – we understand that the products we supply are not "low risk" products; they are airway management devices that can, and do make the difference between good and poor patient outcomes. NAP4 identified 33 deaths in the UK during the year of the audit - all attributable to poor airway management practices. LMA is committed to fulfilling its role as supplier of these devices and maintaining our full support to the clinical community who use our products to ensure the best possible outcomes for Australian patients.

Supply Chain Management

Whilst product range, product quality and the breadth of clinical support are the foundation of LMA PacMed’s commitment to the airway management market, this is only part of our obligations to service the healthcare environment. As market leader it is required and expected that we deliver the highest standard of customer service and supply chain management.

LMA PacMed retains a team of 6 trained customer service specialists in our Melbourne office and warehouse to ensure that these standards of service are maintained. To this end LMA PacMed ensures:

All Customer Service staff under take ongoing training programmes to maintain support capabilities and are audited against a rigorous set of key performance indicators.
The Customer Service process is routinely audited to meet and exceed the requirements of ISO 9000:2008 for process quality.
We are NPC/GS1 compliant across all product portfolio’s.
We keep a minimum of 3 months of stock maintained in our Melbourne warehouse to support consistency of supply.
Locally controlled supply chain logistics via a dedicated distribution network .
We guarantee next day delivery for all orders placed before 2pm AEST. (Exception of Western Australia which requires two working days.)
Emergency delivery options are available at customer request.
On hand product ordering and invoice query support.
Availability of e-commerce options to maximise ordering efficiencies.
Full visibility to and traceability of product movements throughout supply chain.
Access to customer requested supply reports (eg purchase uptake figures).